China

Nearly 19,000 people are reported buried in rubble in just one Chinese town, the state media said today, as  the death toll from yesterday's 7.9 earthquake in Sichuan province climbed to 12,000. Overwhelmed rescuers worked frantically to rescue as many as possible, impeded by rain and mudslides, while hundreds of children still beneath a collapsed school have been given up for dead, reports the New York Times . More »

Authorities are unable to reach areas at the very center of China's massive 7.9-magnitude earthquake, CNN reports, due mainly to badly damaged roads. The death toll from the quake is now estimated at over 8,600, with thousands more injured, with those numbers figuring to rise as rescue efforts penetrate closer to the epicenter. More »

The earthquake that shook central China has claimed at least 7,651 lives and injured 10,000 more in Sichuan province, the Washington Post reports. In Beichuan county, which accounted for more than 5,000 dead, local news said 80% of the buildings had been toppled.  More »

Battered by backlash over the Tibet crackdown, China has proposed inviting the Dalai Lama to the Beijing Olympics. An unnamed top Chinese official called a legislator in Tibet's exiled government to discuss the possibility, Reuters reports. The spiritual leader would consider attending, said the Tibetan lawmaker. More »

Hoping to meet the demand of its burgeoning airline industry, China has launched a commercial aircraft manufacturing company with $2.7 billion in seed money, reports the BBC. China Commercial Aircraft should help the country rely less on Airbus and Boeing as its passenger industry expands. Chinese airlines will need 2,650 additional aircraft in coming years, experts say. More »

A major 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked central China today, with shaking felt a thousand miles away in Beijing, and in Thailand and Vietnam. Exact damage or injuries were not known, but the quake hit about 60 miles from Chengdu, a city of 10 million in China's Sichuan province, reports CNN. "This is a very dangerous earthquake," said a geophysicist with the US Geological Survey. Five people are reported dead, with 100 injured. More »

More American universities are using recruiting agents to draw foreign students, and those middlemen are reaping the benefits—from both sides. One Chinese student paid $3,000 to a company that "suggested Ohio University might be the best for me," unaware that OU pays the company a $1,000 commission per student, the New York Times reports. More »

Nepalese authorities today arrested 560 Tibetan women, including Buddhist nuns, for protesting China's actions in three all-female rallies across Kathmandu. They marked the first protests of their kind, and the largest round-up since China's crackdown in the region in March; the prisoners will be freed later. Nepal, home to 20,000 Tibetan exiles since the crackdown, bars pro-Tibet agitation. More »

If Chinese leaders truly believe the Dalai Lama was behind the Lhasa riots, “then they should go to Oslo and see to it that I am stripped of my Nobel Peace Prize,” the spiritual leader tells Der Spiegel. The Tibetan leader is tired of China’s accusations, and he says they should come forward with evidence if they have it. More »

Hu Jintao is making the first visit to Japan by a Chinese president in 10 years, and he's looking to solidify the newly amicable relationship with an offering of two giant pandas. But the rare animals aren't a gift, exactly: they're a loan, and they come at a yearly cost of $1 million apiece. The high price has forced the panda-loving Japanese to rethink the offer, writes the Wall Street Journal . More »

China apparently will continue to censor the Internet during August's Olympics, but says the international press will have the access it needs to function, Jacqui Cheng writes on Ars Technica. Officials said they would guarantee as much access “as possible,” but “controls on some unhealthy websites” would continue. In defense, they said, “every country limits access to some websites.” More »

At least 300 Tibetan protesters, many of them monks and nuns, stormed the Chinese embassy in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu today. The demonstrators threw debris into the embassy compound and tried to break down the gates. "We want our freedom. Stop China!" they chanted. Some 200 protesters have been detained, although they are expected to be released tonight. More »

Chinese and Tibetan climbers lit an OIympic torch at the top of Mount Everest today, the BBC reports. The climbers unfurled Chinese and Olympic flags and chanted slogans for TV cameras beaming their images live onto the nation's TVs. The Chinese hope the elaborate stunt will counter the damage from anti-China protests that greeted the torch as it traveled around the world. More »

The Olympic torch is bringing more than controversy on its round-the-world trek—it’s also responsible for the world’s highest Internet café, the People's Daily reports. China Mobile built the communications center at Mount Everest's 17,000-foot-high base camp to ensure communications for relay teams as the torch scales the mountain. More »

Chinese President Hu Jintao today began a five-day trip to Japan, where he is expected to discuss a new panda for a popular zoo—and play ping-pong with Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, the BBC reports. The visit is the first by a Chinese president in a decade, and patching up relations after a rocky period will be the main theme. More »

Asia need funds fast to prevent billions of people from facing severe hunger, says the region's development bank. The bank today appealed for "money and ideas" to stave off poverty in the wake of rice and wheat prices doubling over the past year, reports Reuters. "The global fight against poverty will be won or lost in our region," said the bank's president. More »

For years, American investors have hungrily flocked to China’s massive market, but now the money’s flowing the other way, too, the Los Angeles Time s reports. China invested $9.8 billion in the US in 2007, and not all in big government buys either. With real-estate and other costs fairly low and many states keen to create new jobs, small businesses are finding a good fit. More »

The outbreak of a deadly virus in China hasn’t peaked yet—but it won’t affect the Beijing Games, a World Health Organization rep said. “I don't see it at all as a threat to the Olympics or any upcoming events,” he noted. Enterovirus 71 has killed 24 children and infected thousands, the Guardian reports. But the highest volume of cases is usually seen in June and July, WHO said. More »

The Olympic torch flickered in mainland China today in what will likely be a respite from its troubled worldwide tour. Security measures are in place for the relay, but Chinese citizens aren't in a protesting mood, the AP reports. “Even if no police were here, we would protect the torch with our bodies!” said one 18-year-old selling Chinese flags. More »

Representatives for the Dalai Lama head to China today for talks on restoring peace between the two sides, the BBC reports. The visit marks the first contact between the exiled leader and Chinese officials since pro-Tibet protests turned violent in March. The envoys will discuss the Dalai Lama’s “deep concerns about the Chinese authorities' handling of the situation” and work toward peace, his office said. More »